New Kent School Board solidifies $4.4 million CIP request for FY2025-26

New Kent’s School Board had narrowed down a list of requests of Capital Improvement Projects (CIP) that they will present to county leaders for the upcoming budget.

Monday night’s meeting yielded a recommendation totaling $4.4 million in campus upgrades school leaders would like to see funded in FY2025-26.

The biggest ticket item on the list is upgrading the high school athletic stadium. The stadium would receive a mid-level track along with a turf field. The upgrades would put New Kent High School in line with Bay Rivers District rivals’ facilities, as well as reduce maintenance to the fields over time. The cost of that project if $2.7 million.

Among other CIP recommendations include HVAC upgrades at New Kent Middle School ($1.4 million), the purchase of school buses ($672,000), district-wide lighting improvements ($425,000), and roof replacement at New Kent High School ($450,000).

Items recommended to be shifted from the CIP to general operating as yearly costs include overall HVAC maintenance ($150,000), paving and striping of parking lots ($35,000), roof maintenance ($35,000), and purchasing of paint ($35,000). In total, the shift from the CIP to general operations request would total $255,000.
School board members approved the recommended CIP projects and will present their proposal to New Kent County’s Board of Supervisors at a future meeting as part of the FY2025-26 budgeting process.